What Wasn't
by AsheLyne
Summary: AU high school. Rumors and lies are just as common as stars in the sky. Sometimes you can't see them, but no matter how much they are covered, they will always be there. Main - Clove/Cato . Also - Annie/Finnick . Peeta/Katniss . Gale/Madge .
1. Just a Boy

**Cause I like AU High School stories of about everything I read/watch.**

**I own nothing!**

**-What wasn't-**

**Title: What Wasn't**

**Category: Hunger Games**

**Pairings: Clove / Cato . Minor other pairings.**

**Rated: T**

**Summary: Rumors and lies are just as common as stars in the sky. Sometimes you can't see them, but no matter how much they are covered, they will always be there. You can't completely erase one. AU high school.**

**Warnings: Rated T. AU. May be OOC.**

**-What wasn't-**

I rushed out of bed, through breakfast, and up the street to school when I realized my alarm clock had gone off late and I was desperately, desperately late for school. On the first day. How cliché is that?

Apparently, not enough. Because this has been happening to me for a while. I have a bunch of unexcused tardy slips large enough to get me expelled. But with the vice-principal being your Aunt, you get advantages.

As I rushed up the hill, I cursed myself. I have to get my driver's license as soon as I become eligible. It would solve the problem of my 10 minutes run to school every day.

Running up the creaking wooden stairs of the school, I pushed open the door. This year, I was a sophomore. I knew exactly where the office was- where I would need to retrieve my tardy slip.

"Tardy again, Ms. Silvers?" Mrs. Crane, the secretary asked me, obviously joking. Her sharp red hair pulled back into a stiff bun, bright red lipstick, and wrinkleless face suggested that she would be strict and much too formal. But instead, I've seen her so much I'd consider her my friend.

"You can just call me Clove," I corrected her, giving a small chuckle. While I waited for her to write out my slip- this was a daily ritual, which would be started up once again this school year- I saw a rather muscular guy sitting across the room. He watched me with cold eyes, snarling.

As I watched him, I didn't notice the secretary trying to push the slip into my hands. When I finally realized, she smirked at me. "New kid," she whispered, gently pushing the slip into my small hands, "Already got in trouble the first 10 minutes of school. I'd avoid him."

I nodded firmly. I bet it was almost 20 minutes into my first period.

"See you tomorrow," I said, throwing my book bag over my shoulder. As I walked out the office, the halls were bare- the floors scrubbed clean to a polished finish. Like every week. It was almost unnatural how shiny the floors were in relationship to the lockers. Most sported their usual musky blue.

Within minutes, I reached my first period class- History. As I opened the door, all eyes found me, including the teacher.

"And that is why- oh. Are you Clove Silvers?" she asked. I wasn't sure if she was annoyed that I was late or just glad I showed up.

"Yeah," I replied, sitting in the first open seat I found, which I was guessing was mine.

She nodded, probably letting me off easy since it was the first day. Last year, I had study hall first period, so it was never that big of a problem if I was late.

As I scanned the room, I saw various writing on the board. Inscribed in the middle, written in pink marker, formally crafted handwriting, said 'Ms. Trinket', circled twice around.

The girl next to me smiled, then yawned, secretly pointing to Ms. Trinket. I silently laughed, agreeing with what she had suggested. The teacher was going on about everything we were apparently going to learn this year.

Suddenly, I heard the door slam shut. My gaze followed to the same boy I saw in the office that morning. Ms. Trinket gulped, talking to him in private before she sighed and sent him to sit to another empty seat two tables behind me.

_Who is that? _I wrote, sending it over to the girl next to me.

*_Cato Quill. Trouble maker. Big time, _she wrote back.

_Really? I've never seen him around last year._

_*Seriously? I always hear some bad stuff about him._

_Hmm…_

I reread his name and sighed. Oh, yeah. I've heard of him once or twice. But just in fights. Isn't that normal at this school?

_*He starts half the fights._

_Oh, wow._

_*I would avoid him…_

_That's the second time I've heard that today-_

The paper was ripped out of my hands, turning the 'y' into a jagged mess of lines and curves. The ink ran off the paper, marking the shiny new desk I occupied.

"Girls! No notes in my class!" Ms. Trinket shrieked, holding the paper to her side. "This is the first day of school, so I'm letting you off. But I don't want to see this again!"

"Okay," we both muttered, trying to ignore the stares and looks on the other students faces.

"Ms. Silvers, Ms. Everdeen, I expect a lot out of both of you this year. Don't blow it," she said, ending the lecture with a wink.

That reminded me, I didn't even know the name of the girl that was beside me. When Ms. Trinket was called to the office to gather some papers, I took this time to ask the question.

"I'm Clove Silvers. You?"

She smiled. "Katniss Everdeen."

I was planning on saying something else, but Ms. Trinket ran back into the room. Is she wearing heels?

"Okay, these are your school picture day forms," she yawned, passing out each paper. "Picture Day is in two days on Friday. I expect all of these forms to be filled out and returned to me by Friday morning."

_She's so strict… _I thought, knowing that I wouldn't be able to be half as late as I was late year every day. I'd be sure to get a detention.

The bell rang as I tucked the form into a folder. Actually, more like stuffed. Ms. Trinket must have saw, for she grunted in my direction. I pulled out my schedule to make sure I knew where I was going next.

_History. Trinket. 156._

_Mathematics. Flickerman. 278._

_STUDY HALL – Cafeteria_

_Gym. Heavensbee. 101._

_LUNCH – Cafeteria_

_Science. Everdeen. 301._

_ELA. Undersea. 109._

Grunting, I realized that to go to math, I'd have to go upstairs. Then back down again for Study Hall.

Katniss looked over my schedule beside me. "Hey, we both have my mom for 6th period. And gym and lunch."

"Oh," I mumbled, still not pleased with how much running I'll have to do from class to class. I told Katniss a quick 'bye' and went out the door. There, I saw that boy, Cato, and a girl I haven't seen before next to him. Whatever they were talking about, the girl was laughing hysterically at it.

Rushing, I went up two steps up at a time. The hall was mostly cleared out- just a few stray kids here and there.

Sighing, I sat down at a random desk just as the bell rang. I wasn't late. But still, I hated this arrangement of classes I was going to have the rest of the year.

"Hello, I'm Caesar Flickerman and I will be your math teacher this year," he announced. There was some sort of joyous aura surrounding him that I really liked. "I guess I'll start by putting you in your seats."

Pulling out a manila folder, he motioned for everyone to stand up. "Cato Quill," he proposed, pointing to an empty seat. Huh. Cato was in this class with me? I had just saw him out in the hall though. I didn't see him walk in, so I had to guess that he got here before me somehow.

Mr. Flickerman continued putting kids in their assigned seats. "Clove Silvers." All the way in the back of the room, I made my way over to his pointing finger, flinging my bag on the floor next to me. Smiling, I realized one of my friends was in here.

"Cashmere!" I remarked, grinning at her. She had been out of Panem over the summer. This was the first time I've seen her in weeks.

"Clove, hey," she replied, observing her nails, which had appeared to have had a pedicure. I never really cared for such things. I think Cashmere had given up on talking to me about fashion, guys, makeup, and clothes.

"Glimmer Orly."

I turned my direction up just to see the girl Cato was laughing with in the hallway earlier. She wasn't at my table. Thank God. I don't think I would be able to stand someone like her. She seems completely fake.

This class period went by smoothly. When the bell rang, I began to gather my stuff. But before I was able to leave the room, Glimmer stalked over to me.

"I'm Glimmer, but you obviously know that."

I rose an eyebrow. Was this girl for real? "Cool, I'm-"

"I could care less who you are!" she snapped, glaring her green eyes at me. Wow. Bitch much?

After some awkward silence, she resumed. "Anyways, you know Cato?" Instead of waiting for my reply, she continued to talk in that silly voice of hers. It was high pitched and girly and UGHH. "Well, stay away from him." She had said it so sweetly that I had to look if she was joking. I hadn't said a word to Cato. Ever.

"Yeah, whatever," I grunted. Study Hall. In the cafeteria. Shouldn't be too hard to find. I only ate there every day last year.

Glimmer flipped her hair back, obviously dissatisfied with my response. She seemed like the kind of girl that would go to desperate measures in desperate times. Like, sleeping with some random guy for money. But by the looks of it, she came from a wealthy family.

Light blonde hair with streaks of a darker color. Terrifying green eyes. Porcelain skin without any kind of imperfection. Plump lips. 'Perfect figure' in today's world. Wait. Are those… breast implants? Um. Gross. But that didn't signify her wealth. The designer clothes, multi accessories, and way too much jewelry showed that either her mother or father had a good job. And she was making sure everyone knew it.

When I got to study hall, I was relieved to find that we could take our own seats. I was also relived to find that that bratty, annoying, fake little whore wasn't here. I wasn't sure if she was naturally trying to be a bitch to me or not, but by her first impression, I hated her.

Also, I made a mental note that Cato wasn't here either. Good. If Glimmer saw me in the same room as him then she'd think I was seducing him or some crap like that. Which, unlike Cashmere, who likes flirting, I don't do.

Sighing, I found an open table all by myself. For some reason, the study hall was portrayed in the cafeteria- which meant the cafeteria was in full use every class period. Periods 4-6 were lunches. 1-3 and 7 were the study halls.

When I looked around the room, I was surprised that I was one of the only people sitting at a table alone. Most others had a full table, which consisted of 6 chairs. Since there was no teacher in this class, you could bet that they were dragging chairs from other tables. One table I counted 11 people.

Scanning the sea of students, I sighed. I knew most of them, but wouldn't really consider any of them friends. My gaze stopped when I saw Annie Cresta. We talked a bit last year. She even came over to my house once. I was thinking about moving over there when I realized she wasn't alone.

Blonde hair and blue eyes. I was trying to put a name to this face. I know I knew who he was. I felt as if a light bulb flashed over my head. Peeta Mellark! His family owned the bakery downtown. I haven't been in any classes with him since middle school. It shocked me to see he looked the same, just more muscular… and… less chubby.

Since it was only the first day of school, I have no homework or projects to do. For a good ten minutes, I painted imaginary swirls on the table, watching the clock tick by with every second. Time just wouldn't go fast enough.

I finally gathered up the few things I had out and walked over to where Annie and Peeta were casually chatting. I guess the school gave us this time to either relax or do schoolwork. Either way, the latter usually didn't happen.

"Hi," I greeted them, trying to smile warmly. It was a hard gesture to accomplish since they weren't really my friends. More like acquaintances.

Peeta nodded. "Hey," Annie said. I feel like I just dampened their happy mood.

"Am I interrupting anything…?" I asked, biting my lower lip. Maybe they would tell me to go away, or say they were busy. No. They were both too nice for that.

Annie shook her head, patting the seat next to her. "No, no!" She pulled the seat out a little further. I guess that gesture was supposed to be nice, but I felt fat as I sat down. "So, how are you doing, Clove?"

I shrugged. "Better than last year. You?"

She clasped her hands together. Somehow, I felt like Peeta was being left out of the conversation. "Same."

Turning my attention to Peeta, I asked, "And you?"

He shrugged, similar to what I did. "Fine."

We made idle chit chat through the class period. Nothing eventful really happened, except for Annie trying to recall a story when she was forced to each a cockroach. Glad I don't have lunch next.

When the bell rung, I made a mad dash to my locker. Angrily, I was forced to take out my schedule to find my locker combination. It was only the first day. I didn't have it memorized.

But, why was I in such a rush? The answer was simple. Gym. Normally, I didn't mind gym that much. But last year, I met Plutarch Heavensbee, who liked to be referred to as Coach. He gave a detention if you were even a second tardy to his class.

"God dammit!" I roared, thrusting my fist at my locker. My gym clothes were in there. Coach didn't care if it the first day. We were expected to bring them.

By the time my locker had reluctantly opened and I nabbed my stuff, I realized the hallways were thinning out. Sprinting all the way to the gym, I figured I would probably have to carry my gym bag in the morning.

"Glad to see you. Get changed," Coach boomed, slapping me on the back. I grunted, honestly hated this man. Gym. Why'd I sign up for it again?

Slumping into the girls' locker rooms, I slid down onto the floor, noting only a few girls' stuff in the lockless lockers. By the time I had finished changing in one of the stalls, I noticed that I was most likely the last one to finish. Coach shook his head, tapping his foot impatiently.

Now, if you're wondering, we only have one gym teacher. Coach Heavensbee. Which means that he has to come into the girls locker room. Mind you, I've seen him peak.

Anyways, I took a seat beside Katniss. On her other side was Annie. Huh.

"Took you long enough!" Glimmer giggled, who sat on the other side of the room I did. I had a feeling it wasn't in a joking way. She was surrounded by her posse of friends. I was surprised to see Cashmere among them.

"Looks like everybody's here," Coach remarked, pointing out the door. "Now get out to the floor and give me 5 laps!"

Sighing, I trailed behind Katniss and Annie, giving them nervous smiles. What did I expect? Not to have as many laps around the gym?

"Why'd I sign up for gym again?" I asked Katniss and Annie, who both shrugged.

Katniss popped a smile. "Maybe him?" I followed my gaze towards where she was pointed, nearly gagging with the sight I saw.

Glimmer was wrapping her arms around Cato's neck, one leg lifted up in the air. She appeared to be whispering something in his ear, resulting in a gruff laugh. It made me sick. Plus, her shirt was so low-cut you could see her stomach. And her shorts were up so high they were underwear.

"Oh, oh no!" I shrieked, covering Annie's eyes. "Annie, don't look!"

Glimmer must've heard me, snapping around to give me a glare. Stomping on to me, she placed her hands on her hips, trying her best to make me intimidated. "Do you mind?"

"Oh, whatever do you mean?" I mocked, twirling a piece of hair around my finger innocently.

"Don't play dumb, Silvers!" she yelled, pointing an accusing finger at me. I grabbed it, threatening to bend it over and break it.

"Don't fucking play games with me," I taunted. "I could obviously beat you up. So shut the hell up."

"Ugg," she mumbled, scampering away. The nerve of this girl.

Annie looked at me with a puzzled expression, then her expression automatically brightened. Turning, I noticed someone coming our way. Tan skin, sea green eyes, and bronze hair. Was this her crush?

"Clove, meet Finnick," Annie proudly announced.

I nodded in a friendly gesture. Finnick did the same, then returned his attention back to Annie. "So, Annie-"

They were interrupted by a whistle. "5 laps around the gym!" It was the same instructions as earlier, except everyone were now motivated. If Coach gives you directions the second time around, you follow it. Or else face the sad, sad consequences.

By the middle of the 3rd lap, I was gasping for air, falling slower, as was everyone else. Our gym is huge. Really. In the middle of an 8th to a 4th of a mile.

When I finished, I realized I was one of the first done. Coach smiled at me with approval. Sometimes, it was hard to hate this guy.

As I waited, I noticed that it was taking a long time for somebody to finish the laps. About one person finished every two minutes. And guess who the last person done was.

"It took you half an hour to finish 5 laps," I said dryly to Glimmer, who shrugged in reply.

"I was walking," she retorted. "Besides, look how sweaty you are and how presentable I look."

_Not when I give you a black eye. _I was tempted to say it. But actions speak louder than words, right? I'll do just that after school.

**-What Wasn't—**

**How was it? 5-10 reviews would be nice. **

**Anyways, critique is always appreciated. Thanks for reading!**

**-Ashe**


	2. Detention's No Fun

**Author's Note: Wooooaaaaaaahhhhh… I got a whole lot more response than I thought I would! Thanks guys!**

**Also, I don't have all the time in the world. I'm still in school and I'm involved with sports and out of school activities. I also have other stories I'm working on.**

**I own nothing. Sadly…**

**-What Wasn't-**

**2: Aw. Detention's no fun.**

Well, I guess gym wasn't that bad. Oh, who am I kidding? Glimmer got the funniest lecture ever!

_Flashback:_

_"It took you half an hour to finish 5 laps," I said dryly to Glimmer, who shrugged in reply._

_"I was walking," she retorted. "Besides, look how sweaty you are and how presentable I look."_

_As I was about to reply using some obscure language, Coach butted in and started drilling Glimmer._

"_Glimmer Orly! You need to get in shape!" Coach Heavensbee blurted, scolding her._

"_I _am_ in shape!"she replied, her cool obviously blowing off. "I mean, I'm on the cheerleading team and-"_

"_Then why'd it take you so long to do a 10 minute jog?"he questioned, eyeing her curiously. By the way I saw her face pale, it was obvious she had no real comeback. She couldn't play the 'I'm hot' card on Heavensbee. He doesn't care about attractiveness. At least not in gym._

_They bickered back and forth for some time, Glimmer mentioning not wearing a bra, deodorant, and underwear, as if that would help her cause. The rest of the class surrounded them, until the bell finally rang._

"Well, maybe I'd believe the underwear part," Annie mentioned nervously. "I mean… honestly, her shorts were so high up I could see her butt cheeks."

"I'm shivering at the thought," Katniss groaned, shaking her head. "Anyways, I have lunch next. You guys?"

"Me too," Annie remarked. I nodded, knowing I'd at least have these guys to sit by at lunch.

The cafeteria, like last year, was full and bustling as we entered. Peeta and Finnick were standing at two different tables, throwing a football back and forth. I spotted a couple sucking on each others' faces. Then there was Glimmer, leaning back on a table while talking to Cato. From here, she looked like a completely normal girl. Maybe somebody I would even be friends with.

Haha, just kidding. That little whore.

Luckily, by the time we got in the lunch line, the good food was still out. They strictly made a certain number of whatever the special was for that day, then divided it equally along the lunches. Which sometimes really sucked, considering that the meat surprise looked more like a pile of shit than anything.

By the time it was my turn up in line, Annie had taken the last of the pasta. Pointing to the slightly edible looking hotdog, I noted that it looked as if nobody had taken one yet.

"Are you sure you can eat that?" Katniss pondered, staring at my tray. "What's that little green spot?"

"But I'm hungry," I moaned, following Katniss and Annie to what I presumed to be our table. "Don't make me not want to eat it!"

I'm not sure what happened next. I heard yelling, so I turned to look. Then I felt something sticky and gross covering my neck to my torso.

"You did not just do that," I roared, motioning to the spill on my shirt. Glimmer.

"Oops," Glimmer replied, holding her hands up. "It looks better than before."

By this point, I didn't care if I was starving. I took my slightly edible hotdog and shoved it down Glimmer's shirt, my milk following short after.

"What the fuck!" Glimmer screamed, pointing an accusing finger to my nose. "This shirt was brand new!"

Her bitchy little attitude was driving me insane. In one swift motion, I sent a jab to her right eye. Then another to her nose.

The spot where I punched around her eye was already turning purple. "Oh, sorry," I apologized, lacing my voice with sarcasm. "But it does look better than before."

Her scream was heard throughout the entire school.

**-What Wasn't-**

From what I learned earlier in the day, fights in this school were not uncommon thanks to Cato.

But giving another girl a black eye, bloody nose, and hotdog sundae down the front of her shirt is looked down upon by most teachers and, of course, the Principal.

Of course, had it been Cato in the fight, it wouldn't have been a big deal. But from my previous not so bad record (minus the tardy slips), it was a surprise.

It was also awkward sitting in the Principal's office with Glimmer right beside me. Mr. Snow, our Principal, looked at both of us up and down, trying to figure out what to do.

"Alright, so what happened?"

Those simple words caused total chaos.

Glimmer and I were shouting back and forth about each other, throwing insults, and making exaggerations. Mr. Snow was obviously getting infuriated by this, slamming a fist onto the table.

"Calm down! Clove, you first. What happened?" Waving his hand in the air, when he pointed at me, I knew it was my cue to talk.

"Well, this little who-" By the looks he was giving me, that was not a good way to start. "I mean, this little horrible incident occurred. Glimmer dumped her food all over me, and over the floor. I slipped and my tray wacked her in the face," I concluded, making it sound as sweet and innocent as I possibly could. By the way Mr. Snow's face had softened, I had guessed that he believed it.

Glimmer looked totally betrayed, her mouth opened. "Mr. Snow, that's not at all what happened!" she cried, flinging her hands up into the air. "Clove came up to me randomly and started punching me and making me feel terrible!" She shed a fake tear to help prove her point.

Mr. Snow sighed, his head laid in his hands, obviously unsure of what to do with us. He sighed once more and pointed to the door. "Since this is the first day of school, and I don't know what truly happened, you both may take your leave. Thank you."

Heh. Good enough for me. As I stood up, Glimmer tried to protest, but by the looks she was receiving, she was just acting as a burden.

When I exited the office, the first thing I did was pull my schedule out of my back pocket. Science. Room 301. The 3rd floor. I was on the first.

Sighing, I decided that it wouldn't hurt if I started heading up already. Besides, even if lunch wasn't over yet, it almost was.

Oh, lunch. I was still starving. Even worse than before. Just thinking about-

"Slut," I grumbled as Glimmer passed. She whipped around, gave me an accusing glare, then began walking over to Cato.

"You're not worth my time anyways," she retorted, flipping her hair over her back.

I was debating on whether or not to call out with some even worse language, but decided that almost getting suspended once in a day was enough.

As I started my way up the stairs, I came to the conclusion that this school was, well, big. I mean, three stories, and a basement. With classes occupying every floor.

Noticing that nobody was around, I decided it would be fine if I just took the elevator up. Technically, I could get detention since I wasn't a teacher/didn't have a broken limb/wasn't deathly ill, but I could care less. My legs were starting to sore from that run in gym.

Luckily, nobody except some nerd was in the hallway. Just as I stepped out the elevator, the bell rung. Huh. Lucky timing.

When the rush to lunch was finished, I settled down in a chair in the classroom. Soon after, Katniss came into the room, nodding at the teacher.

"Hi, Mom," she called out, before taking a seat beside me.

"That's your Mom?" I asked, cocking my head to the right.

She nodded. "Didn't I tell you this already?"

I shrugged, trying to remember a point earlier in the day in which she must have said it. Since I wasn't able to recall anything of that manner, I decided I wasn't pay attention, wasn't listening, or didn't realize she was talking to me.

The bell ringing, Mrs. Everdeen motioned her hands so everyone would sit down. She began to pass out papers, nodding to me and Katniss as she did so.

"Well, since 'Health' is on our standards we have to cover, our first until will be…"

Similar to all the other classes, I laid my head down, resting it on my desk and scanning the room. Thank God. Glimmer wasn't in here. Finnick, however, was sitting in the desk behind me, but hasn't poised as a problem at all.

Katniss watched intently as her mother talked. Funny, by the looks of it, they didn't seem anything alike. Even by their looks, they were like polar opposites.

Another sheet was going around the room. Nudging Katniss, I asked, "Crap. What are we doing?"

"Essay about ourselves," was her simple reply. I nodded, thinking it would be easy enough. Mrs. Everdeen sat down at her own desk and motioned for us to begin working. How would I start this?

_Hi. I'm Clove._

_Yo. Clove Silvers in the house._

_Um, I'm, like, Cloooove._

_My name is Clove Silvers._

No. No. No. No. They didn't flow. And seriously, 'yo'?

I finally settled with the beginning, '_So, I'm Clove_.' Sounded simple enough. Wasn't too flashy (_Yo. Clove Silvers in the house_.), too Glimmer-like (_Um, I'm, like, Cloooove_.), or too plain (_Hi. I'm Clove. My name is Clove Silvers._)

I was obviously tired.

So, for the next few minutes, I put my head on my hands to make it look like I was thinking. But instead, I closed my eyes to sleep.

Surprisingly, nobody awoke me. So when the bell rang, I drowsily collected all my things and left the classroom.

Language arts. First floor. Instead of rushing, I took my times through the hallways, even stopping to get a drink.

"What the fuck is wrong with you!"

I snapped my head around to see Glimmer glaring at me. Her shirt had a nasty brown stain where I dumped my milk. By the way she was looking at me, it was obvious that she was mad about something.

"What do you mean?" I innocently asked. Because, honestly, unless she was gripping about what happened at lunch today, there was nothing else for her to be mad about.

She sighed in frustration, flipping her hair back. Seriously. She flipped her hair back. "I told you. Leave Cato alone. He's mine!"

Raising an eyebrow, I simply said, "You're treating him like an object."

She gasped, raising a hand up as if she was about to slap me. On instinct, my hand quickly went up and grabbed her wrist.

"I really hope you weren't about to slap me," I roared. "Things would get ugly."

She pulled her hand back, crossing her arms. "Things were ugly the moment I met you."

Blinking twice, her statement made me so angry. Without thinking, I punched her in the nose, smirking as it started to bleed once more. I didn't really care about the onlookers and teachers, and how the Principal was standing right there-

Oh, wait.

Fuck.

**-What Wasn't-**

**Shorter than my usual chapters -.-**

**Sorry, next should be longer! Next chapter has Cato/Clove interaction! ;D**

**Since I got 20 reviews, do you think I could get to 35? O:**

**Thank you all!**

**-Ashe**


	3. SLAM!

**Author's Note: Nina- thanks for reminding me! :D **

**0.-Chan.o.0- Haha, I really like that couple :D They aren't the main one, but they will appear starting in this chapter ^^**

**SweetDreams926- I always really liked Clove! She came to me as a total badass from the start. :D**

**Sorry, I can't respond to them all~ If you wanna talk, message me one-on-one.**

**I own nothing.**

**-What Wasn't-**

**3: SLAM!**

"What are you in for?"

I glanced up at the voice, leaning my head in my hands. Not to my surprise, it was Cato. We were the only ones in detention. Almost half an hour ago, the Principal sent me here, saying this would be the last warning before things turned worse. I couldn't blame him. Glimmer had provoked me. I mustered up all my restraint not to dropkick her, but my heart said otherwise.

I shrugged. "Same as you. Fight." I said it as if it was no big deal, but I could feel his eyes sizing me up- trying to figure out if I was trash or worthy of his time. I froze, mentally slapping myself.

The fuck? Why did I care?

"Ah, so she knows me," he responds, sending a cocky grin my way. "I'm the all famous Cato." He paused, flicking a piece of paper off his desk. "Bummer. I missed your fight. Was there blood involved?"

Blinking twice, I wondered why the hell I was talking about this. And to Cato. He seemed unnaturally calm about it.

"Bloody nose. I mean, the Principal saw, but…"

"But what?"

I sighed, flipping a piece of head back over my head. "I sort of tackled her to the ground."

He slapped my back harder than I expected, chuckling. "10 points for you. Who you fight? You said girl, right? Nerd? Jock?"

It was disturbing how casual this talk was, as if we were talking about puppies and rainbows. Oh, wait. No, I don't talk about that stuff in the first place. It was as if we were talking about food. That's more like it.

"Well, you see, uh…" Cato was obviously close with Glimmer. If I told him I beat her ass, what would he say? Would he take me on?

Deciding that I could probably take him, I said that statement simply. "Glimmer Orly." I clenched my fists, ready to strike a blow if he touched me.

He blinked twice, as if to check if I was serious. Then he clutched his stomach, breaking out into an uncontrollable laughter. I couldn't believe it. I thought he was some rough, tough dude.

"What!" I screamed, gripping my hands harder into fists, having a quick thought of knocking him out. He didn't respond.

After about 5 minutes of this, I took a textbook and dropped it on his stomach. Luckily, since it was the first day of school, there was no teacher assigned for detention.

Cato stood up abruptly, stifling stray giggles. I suddenly felt like this guy was an idiot. An idiotic clown. Just like 77% of the school.

"Oh nothing," he gasped. "I'm just surprised that you beat her up. She's going to make your life hell."

I stomped impatiently. She's a bitch, plain and simple."I thought that you were new here! How would you know!"

He froze for a moment, as if choosing his words carefully. "Let's say we go back to childhood," he said coolly, averting his eyes towards anywhere but me. "Anyways," he started up again, "Wanna come to a party Friday night? Just in two days."

He wavered the words in front of me. "Tempting. Where at?"

"My place," he began. But I must've made a face of disgust, for he quickly added, "Not like that! Gale Hawthorne, Peeta Mellark, Finnick Odair… all the guys will be there, too."

I raised an eyebrow. "I'm a guy now?"

He slapped a palm to his forehead. "No. I mean, Glimmer and Cashmere are coming. So is Gloss, her brother. Since Finnick and Gale are going, you can bet Annie and Madge are as well."

"Madge?" The name sounded familiar, but I wasn't sure why.

"You know, our ELA's teachers daughter," he mocked. "She's cool."

I nodded surly. "Katniss going?"

He rubbed his chin, and as he did, I couldn't help notice the stubble of hair growing. He must've shaved. "You can invite her. She probably won't be too happy about Glimmer though."

I was starting to love Katniss more and more. Hatred of Glimmer? Check.

We talked for the rest of the hour, and to my surprise, it was strangely relaxing. The only time a teacher came in was to say we could go home. As soon as it was said, I jumped out of my seat and gathered up my things, waving a hand over my shoulder to Cato.

**-What Wasn't-**

When I got home, it was almost 4. I decided going to the park wouldn't hurt. Especially on a day as nice as this.

A couple boys from school were playing baseball. Upon further inspection, I could tell that it was Peeta, Finnick, Gale, and a few others I couldn't recognize. Annie, Katniss, and who I guessed to be Madge sat off to the side, watching the game. I quickly joined them.

"Hi," I mumbled, plopping down onto the grass. Annie and Katniss greeted me back, but Madge only gave a silent nod.

"How was detention?" Annie blurted, then quickly covered her mouth. "Oh, sorry! I didn't mean-"

"Nah, it's fine," I said back.

We sat in awkward silence, until two guys from Peeta's team collided head first, trying to reach the ball. Their heads briefly hit, but not before falling to the ground in a heap of embarrassment.

A whistle blew. Finnick jogged over to them, then shook his head. "We need two new people!" he called out.

Gale rubbed his chin in the same way Cato had. He jogged over to where we were sitting. His tall, lean build seemed to reflect off the sunlight. Last year, there was a rumor saying Gale and Madge were dating, but at the time, I didn't know her. Now, I was guessing that they either had a bad break up or never went out to begin with. My money was on the latter.

"Katniss, can you substitute?" he asked, bringing me back to reality.

She shrugged, standing up to wipe the dust of her jeans. "Sure."

He suddenly acknowledged that I was there. "Clove! Hey. Can you substitute too?"

I rubbed the nape of my neck, unsure of what to say. "I'm not good at baseball…"

He shrugged. "You have good aim. I saw you last year in gym. You killed everyone at tennis and basketball."

"Why not then?" I asked myself, standing up. In the first minute I was out on the field, the opposing team had gotten their third out. I walked my way over to the other side.

"Hey, you're batting third," Finnick told me, tossing a bat my way. "Right after me."

I nodded, slightly annoyed. Peeta batted first, getting to second. Then, Finnick made it to first. No outs. I wasn't going to be the one to change that.

I took my stance, watching the ball. By the time I swung the bat, I was a second too early, the ball rolling into the foul zone.

"Foul!" The announcer called out. I was debating on whether or not to give him the finger.

As I took my stance again, I saw Cato watching me. I wasn't sure if he was smirking or not, but I was positive that if I missed this next one, he would be.

Thinking about him made me lose my consciousness. I wasn't even sure that I had hit the ball until Katniss yelled for me to run. I made it halfway to third when I lost my footing and fell, crawling the rest of the way.

"Foul! I say foul!" whined someone from the other team, pointing an accusing finger my way. He faintly reminded me of Glimmer.

But why did I care? Both Peeta and Finnick were back at home, giving me two thumbs up each.

I didn't have to turn around to know that Cato was smirking.

**-What Wasn't-**

The next morning, I woke up early. At 6:00. Even though I had just taken a shower last night before going to bed, I went back in again. Besides, after the shower last night, I just threw my clothes back on.

I stepped out of the bathroom when I was finished, clutching the towel closer to my body. The clock said 6:15.

Deciding on a plain tee and shorts, I combed my hair out with my fingers, pulling it up into a ponytail. Then, I went downstairs to actually eat breakfast for once.

"Cereaaaal," I moaned, licking my lips as I pulled out a box. It tasted like sunshine.

I nearly spit out my food when I realized what I had thought. Sunshine? It tasted like sunshine? The fuck? Was I turning into Glimmer?

I pushed away the food in disgust, it suddenly feeling like sand with the mention of Glimmer. That bitchy, fucking little slut just needed to-

I clenched my fist in frustration. I was soooo walking the long way to school today.

**-What Wasn't-**

"Late again, Clove?" Mrs. Crane asked, scribbling on a tardy note.

I rubbed my neck awkwardly, unsure of how. "I swear, I'm cursed! I woke up at six today!"

She snickered, thrusting the note in my hands. "I can't cover for you every day," she warned. I knew that she was right. Half the time, she didn't enter the tardy into the computer. This could've gotten her fired, most likely.

"Thanks," I replied, throwing my bag over my shoulder.

After a quick water break, I began to speed walk down the hall, then decided it didn't matter. I mean, I was already late. It's not like my punishment would get worse if I was a few minutes behind.

Ms. Trinket, without looking at me, pointed to my seat. I knew she was holding back. I have that same look on her face when I'm frustrated, too.

Katniss snickered as I sat down, shaking her head in disapproval. "Glad for you to show up," she whispered.

I made a face, directing my gaze to Cato, who had walked across the room to talk to Gale. Gale's eyebrows were furrowed, breathing deeply.

I now understood why Ms. Trinket was getting annoyed. They were talking in shushed voices, but every now and then, I heard something. Like, from Gale; Madge, party, frog, fried, snake. And Cato; Thong- the fuck?-, Glimmer, blood, party, Clove.

It took a second for it to sink in. When it did, I nearly jumped out of my seat hearing my name. But I quickly cooled, assuring myself he was probably talking about the fight me and Glimmer had. Actually, I wouldn't even call it a fight. It was more like… freedom of speech. Except, you know, physical.

And that's pretty much how history went.

So.

Math was a bit more eventful. Whenever we had free time, Cashmere would nearly glare at me. Glimmer probably told her something stupid.

But Math wasn't too bad overall. I talked to Madge for a bit. Besides the glares, and watching Glimmer ogle over Cato, it didn't faze me at all.

Study hall. I sat with Peeta and Annie again, but barely said anything. Instead, I was working on the rough draft of my essay. The one that Mrs. Everdeen assigned to us about ourselves. I wasn't sure why. I mean, she was a science teacher. Not a language arts one.

But, even though I thought this essay would be a piece of cake, by the end of the period, I only had the beginning paragraph finished.

_So. I'm Clove. Clove Silvers. An essay about myself? Well… I can't say much. I'm active and sporty. I used to run track. I'm small for my age. At times, I have a really short temper. Some people hate it and avoid me. My friends say that I wouldn't be me without it, but-_

Oh, yeah. I forgot to say that I hated it, ripped it in six million pieces, and threw it into the never ending pit called the trash.

Anyways, let's get to the fun part. Gym.

"Hey, Glimmer, are you sure those are shorts? Looks like you were just giving yourself a wedgie," I said sweetly while walking past. She 'hmmphed!', folding her arms across her chest.

"At least I didn't sleep with Finnick, Cato, and Gale last night!" she yelled back, giggling along with her posse of friends. Annie gasped, watching me with accusing eyes.

"You did not just say that," I replied, whipping around to face her.

She twirled a lock of hair around her finger, smirking. "Cato says you begged him. He said you guys did it in a corner of the detention room. Then later, Gale and Finnick called and you fucked them, too."

I was about to knock her out, but she stopped me with another sentence.

"Though I don't get why. You're ugly, chubby, and have no body. Plus, a short temper."

I pulled my fist back, not wanting to eat my words. But I knew something that would blow her over the edge.

"At least I didn't get any transplants."

She huffed, flipped her hair over her shoulder, and stomped out. The other girls followed, each of them giving me a hard, cold glare before leaving.

A whistle blew from outside. Katniss, who had just finished changing, joined me and Annie as we exited. She probably heard.

"You know, those rumors aren't true," I sighed, taking a deep breath.

Annie nodded. "Yeah, Finnick wouldn't do that!" she said cheerfully, clearly not noticing the jet of cold air that went past my head.

"Yeah," I added half-heartedly, walking faster to Coach.

He blew his whistle, though I was sure everyone was there. "Glimmer! Katniss! You're the team captains. We're playing volleyball today!" he boomed, tossing up the ball and bumping it to Glimmer, who shrieked and moved over. The volleyball bounced harmlessly by her side.

Katniss laughed cruelly, a side of her I haven't even witnessed. "Clove," she declared, pointing to me.

Glimmer stomped her foot. "Why does she get to pick first? That's not-" Coach blew his whistle, obviously annoyed. "Cato," she said dryly, brightening when he walked over.

"Annie."

Glimmer laughed. "Glad you took her. I remember last year- talk about clumsy!" she cackled, drawing her attention back to the crowd. "Cashmere."

"Finnick."

By the end of it, we had equal 9x9 teams.

"0 serving 0!" Katniss yelled, hitting the ball underhand. Cashmere dived for it, bumping it into the air. Another girl ran over, setting it over the net.

"Mine!" Annie called, reaching for it. She hit it, it barely going over the net.

Cato, who was in the front, jumped up and ferociously spiked it, hitting me square in the chest.

The next thing I knew, everything was black.

**-What Wasn't-**

I woke up with a hollow face watching over me.

"Where am I?" I moaned, gripping the bed sheets. I felt a bit dizzy, but was easily able to sit up with ease.

"Nurse's office," she replied. "You've been out for not even five minutes. Head back if you want."

I nodded, sitting up to head back to the gym. I was still wearing all my gym clothes. Oh, and I was sweaty. Nice touch.

"Five serving six!" Finnick yelled, before thrusting the ball over his head, slamming it against his fists. Glimmer stepped up, like she was going to hit in, then jumped back at the last minute.

Cashmere sighed and rolled the ball under the net to Finnick.

"We skipped your turn," he said gruffly. "You can take mine."

"Thanks," I dryly said, accepting the ball. "Six serving six!" I screamed, hitting the volleyball. It hit Glimmer square in the jaw.

Coach tapped his foot impatiently. "Can we keep violence out of this?"

Glimmer shrieked for the umpteenth time today, tossing the ball to Coach. He blew his whistle, signaling that it was time to change.

"Finally!" Glimmer groaned, tugging on Cato's sleeve and winking. "Bye," she purred.

I nearly gagged.

**-What Wasn't-**

I can't say that the rest of the day was eventful. I refrained from knocking out Glimmer's teeth, though. That should count for something.

I was about to get my stuff out of my locker, but Cato was leaning up against it, a smirk clearly playing on his lips. "Ah, there she is," he chuckled when I was in earshot.

I huffed, pushing him to the side. "Move it."

"Someone's in a bad mood today. What's wrong?" I couldn't help but notice the think sarcasm laced throughout his voice.

"You."

"Me?"

"What the fuck did you tell Glimmer?" I asked, keeping my voice steady. I shut my locker- loudly, mind you- and turned to face him.

My outburst didn't faze him. It only seemed to entertain him even more. "Feisty. I like it." My gaze dropped to his lips, which he was clearly licking.

Ew.

"I didn't tell her anything," he said, running a hair through his blonde locks. "Why?"

"You sure as hell know what I mean!" I snapped. "Ug. Go away."

He clasped his hands together behind his back. "Nah. We still on for the party tomorrow?"

I was about to protest, but realized it wouldn't be hard to publically humiliate Glimmer and Cato there. In my sweetest voice, I turned and said, "Of course."

**-What Wasn't-**

**Author's Note: Picture Day and party is coming up in the next chapter!**

**Let me warn you; chapters will come out on a weekly basis. Don't expect them super fast.**

**Blooper:**

**Finnick yelled, before thrusting the ball over his head, slamming it against his **fish.

**50 reviews this time? :'D**

**-Ashe**


	4. Pictures, Peanut Butter, and a Party

**Author's Note: Super sorry for late update;_;**

**I'll try writing 500-1000 words a day from now on.**

**Oh, and for those wondering, YES, the main romance is going to be Cato/Clove. There WILL be a lot of Katniss/Peeta, Gale/Madge, and Annie/Finnick, however. **

**So, yeah.**

**I own just the plot.**

**-What Wasn't-**

**3: Pictures, Peanut Butter, and a Party**

"Smile!"

"Does it look like I wanna be here!?" I barked, sending a glare to the photographer. He shrunk behind the camera, hand shaking as he clutched his shirt.

"Oh, come on, Clove, smile," Katniss taunted, patting the photographer on the back.

This time, he tried another approach. "Smile and say 'I hate this!'"

"I hate this," I said, not bothering to smile. A flash filled my vision. I was well aware of the fact that he took the picture while I was talking, but refrained from saying anything else.

Both Katniss and Annie pulled me along to the cafeteria. Since it was picture day, we were running on a 2-hour delay schedule, with one and a half hours to spare right now.

But why were we in the lunch room? Well, once you finished your pictures, you had the option of going in the cafeteria or outside. Since it was pouring sheets outside, we chose the first option.

"Uh, Clove," Annie stammered, pulling on her collar. She pointed a shaking finger towards Glimmer, who was walking- more like stomping- to our table.

"Hey Ugly," she giggled, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "I see you didn't do anything for picture day."

I scooted out my chair, standing up to face her. "And you did?" I gestured to her outfit. A sparkly shirt that showed more skin than a bikini, a mini shirt, and neon green pumps. "Uh, it's 2012. Not 1974."

"Ughh!" she grunted, pointing to my shirt. "This is better than a tee shirt, jeans, and flip flops."

I rolled my eyes, about to sit down. But instead of hitting the chair, my butt made contact with the ground. I glared up at Glimmer, who had pulled it from under me.

She laughed, getting some poor nerds to join in with her. She seemed completely fake. Didn't she realize that 80% of the school despised her? And that they weren't jealous?

"Aren't you mature," I grumbled, snatching it from her. I yanked at her hair, not at all surprised when strands of it fell into my fingers. "Hair extensions?" I gasped. "Do you have any part of you that's real?"

She gasped, storming away. Katniss helped me stand up, apologizing for not saying anything.

"It's fine," I mumbled, then suddenly brightened. "Which reminds me… come to Cato's party with me-"

"Oooh, I'm going!" Annie shrieked. I ignored her.

"-We're going to humiliate Glimmer."

An evil glint caught Katniss' eyes, and she suddenly smirked. "Perfect," she purred, suddenly looking around. "Let's go to the store. I know exactly what to get."

As we stood up, Annie trailing behind us, we looked around to make sure that nobody was watching us play Hookie. We almost made it to the doors without being noticed.

Almost.

"And where you are going?" Madge asked quietly.

Katniss grabbed her by the arm. "Store. Humiliate Glimmer."

Madge raised her eyebrows. Was that a smile I saw? "I'm coming, too, then."

Will this day get any better?

**-What Wasn't-**

Other customers gave us weird looks, but we ignored them.

It was probably for the fact that it was 10:00 AM, and we were outside of school. In all honesty, they probably thought that we were some rebels targeted on the destruction of mankind.

Which is true, in some ways. But mostly for Glimmer. And sort of Cato.

I suddenly felt bad. Not for Glimmer, mind you, but for Cato. Glimmer could've made up the thing Cato said. She could've lied, and he could be innocent. Seriously, Cato seemed nice. He may be a wise guy, but he's hilarious.

"Earth to Clove," Annie laughed, poking me on the side.

"Huh?" I muttered, blinking. She giggled some more and pointed to an aisle. I could barely make out the word 'sandwiches' labeled on a sign overtop the aisle.

"Go get some peanut butter, would you?" Madge asked, expressionless. She was busily studying a row of whipped cream. "Katniss, Whip-Whip or Cream of Whip?"

I giggled- yes. You read that right- at the brand names of the whipped cream, surprised that Madge could ask a question that seriously. Walking off, I turned at the corner to find the sandwich aisle.

"Woah," I whispered, gazing in awe at the sight around me. Jars, cans, bottles, and containers of ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, relish, peanut butter, and anything else you could think of that would be on a sandwich topped the shelves. The ketchup even came in a variety of colors! Brand name after brand name watched me intently as I made my way to a shelf of peanut butter, contemplating on what to get.

"Hungry?"

I jumped at the voice, somehow feeling relieved when I realized it was just Cato, leaning against the wall parallel to my shelf.

"I guess you could say that," I yawned, pulling out a heavy container marked 'PeeNut Butt', sketched with a peanut showing off its buttocks in a… rather unattractive way. I dropped it back onto the shelf, not bothering to put it right side up when it hit the shelf with a thud, rolling onto the edge.

He came up next to me, breathing in my ear. "Fancy seeing you here. What are you looking for, exactly?"

I turned to stare at him for a minute, before shaking my head. His gaze landed on the PeeNut Butt container, raising an eyebrow.

My senses came back to me. I went to the far end of the peanut butter shelf, randomly choosing a jar. "What are you doing here?"

He looked offended, pinning his hand to his heart. "My, my, Clove. I should be saying the same thing to you. Isn't playing Hookie a bit sub-par for your... level?"

He was mocking me, and knew it, too. I stood to face him, tilting my head up so I could see him. "Listen well, Cato. You and I both know I could beat you up in a second."

He slouched down, a smirk playing on his face. "You and I both know that's not true."

And in a second, he was gone. I gasped, clenching my fists. He was mocking me, again! "Shut up!" I yelled, knowing he would be well in earshot. Thankfully, I was the only one in the aisle, and nobody else came running in. Or so I thought.

"Geez, Clove, what took so long!?" Annie muttered, throwing her arms over her head. "It's been, like, 10 minutes!"

"It was dreadful," Madge said, though I caught the largest portion of irony laced throughout her voice.

I apologized, awkwardly scratching the back of my head with my hand, quickly grabbing a container of mustard. "Well, you see," I started, "I was getting mustard, too. For that nasty color."

Madge raised an eyebrow. "That explains why you yelled 'Shut up!'".

Luckily, I didn't have to say anything. "PeeNut Butt!? Clove, I hate this brand!" Annie shrieked. I looked over her shoulder, seeing the PeeNut Butt jar in my cart. Huh. I thought I moved away from that brand. But I guess when I reached for a random one, I accidently grabbed that unfortunately named brand.

"Why is everyone in here?" Katniss asked, barging onto the scene. "Clove, I just saw Cato leave."

I hung my head in shame. "Yes, yes, I know."

Annie gave an evil smile. "Well, looks like we have everything now. Know what that means?"

Katniss thrusted the shopping list into Annie's hand. "Uh, no. We still need a few more things."

Madge scurried out of the aisle, turning to look back at us. "Well? Are you coming or what?"

**-What Wasn't-**

It was obvious which house was Cato's.

The music was booming, able to be heard a street away. Cars were parked every which way: the street parallel to his, in driveways, and in his yards. Everywhere you looked, teens were climbing out of their cars. The only thing missing were the fluorescent red and blue lights coming from a police car.

"I sort of like this song," Annie confessed, flustered. Let me fix that mistake. We were two streets away and we could still hear the music.

"Yo!" Gale yelled from across the street. We jogged over to meet him. "You look nice, Madge."

She looked up at him, an eyebrow raised. "You could have said that at school. It's picture day."

"Well yeah- Hey! Where are you going?" He ran after her, pushing people aside to walk next to her.

Annie looked in a daze. I looked around for signs of Finnick, but saw none. "Annie…? Are you okay?"

"She loves romantic things," Katniss whispered, pointing to Cato's house. "We should start walking."

And so we did. And just like that, Annie snapped out of her fantasy and began walking along side us, saying about how Gale and Madge were so cute together, and the most adorable thing she's ever seen, and BLAH BLAH BLAH. In total honesty, I wasn't one for romance. I remember being forced to watch chick flicks with my mom and sister. As they 'awwwed' and cried at the romantic parts, I was nearly barfing.

"We're here," I said, rather loudly, hoping Annie would get the hint. She totally ignored it, not stopping until we were inside and she gazed around in awe.

I wiped my forehead. "Finally…"

"Clove! Glad you could make it!" I snapped towards the voice, not surprised when it was Cato, arms spread out as if he was waiting for a hug. I've been hearing a lot of him, lately. "I didn't think you'd come," he said, dropping his open arms. He was, once again, making a fool of me.

"Oh, I came," I said sweetly, stepping towards him. Before I was in the five foot radius of him, Glimmer ran up and kissed him on the cheek.

She winked at him seductively as I tried to hold in a gag. "I'm so glad you hosted this party," she purred, rubbing his chest. BARF. "But, Catooooo, why'd you invite the hag?" Her eyes flickered towards me, then back to Cato.

Cato laughed, a deep, gruff laughed, before regaining his posture, gently taking Glimmer's hands off of him. "She's not a hag. She's very pretty."

Glimmer stomped, obviously unhappy with the statement. "You JUST asked me out. Are you looking for a break up already?"

I stifled a gasp, feeling a heavy feeling in my chest. It wasn't that I liked him, but I felt pity for him. For going out with Glimmer. Gross.

"You guys are dating?" I choked out. The way I said it made it sound like I was disappointed. Off to the side, Katniss mouthed 'What the heck?' to my response. Cato seemed to be a bit surprised too, but quickly put back on that cool façade of his.

Glimmer sent a snarl towards my direction. "You bet we are. I mean, I know you like him and all, but puh-lease."

I clenched my fists, taking a deep breath before walking over to Katniss, who was chatting with Peeta. Cato called out for me, and when I turned around, looked like he was in a heated make-out session with Glimmer. Barf.

As I stepped closer to Katniss, I backed away reluctantly and stood around a corner so I could listen in to the conversation. By the way that Peeta was avoiding Katniss's gaze, looking flustered, I knew that I shouldn't get involved.

"So… you know, we've known each other for a while and-" Peeta stammered.

"Yes, Peeta?" Katniss cut in.

"Well, I was just wondering if maybe sometime you wanted to go out and-"

"Yo, Peeta!" Another voice entered the scene. Turning around the corner, I saw Finnick slapping Peeta on the back.

"Idiot!" I hissed, though nobody could hear me. It was obvious that Peeta was getting ready to ask Katniss out, then Finnick came onto the scene and ruined it. Just great.

By the time that Finnick left, Annie came and started talking to Katniss. Peeta excused himself quickly and left the scene, still flustered from the conversation with Katniss that he never got to finish. I was getting bored myself and joined Annie.

But, before I could say anything, Glimmer hopped on top of a table, and yelled, in a megaphone; "Hey! Thanks for coming! We're about to start 7 Minutes in Heaven so everyone needs to choose a slip of paper!"

"7 minutes in heaven?" Annie gasped. "Doesn't that usually lead to…"

"I feel like I understand why most parents look down on us," Katniss muttered. "I'm not choosing a slip."

"Me neith-"

I was cut off from a hand punching me in the back.

"Choose a slip, Ugly," Glimmer scoffed, spitting in my face. I kept my hands at my side, refusing too. "Well?" She made an exaggerated face. "Oh my god! You're scared, aren't you?"

"No!" I hissed, thrusting my hand in the basket. I grabbed the first slip I could find and jammed it in my pocket without looking at what it said.

Glimmer skidded around to where Madge was, nearly forcing the slip of paper in her palms. By the time everyone had chosen a slip, Glimmer stood back on the table, yelling into the microphone once more.

"Okay! So, who're the two people with slip #1?"

**-What Wasn't-**

The night went on. 3 pairs were in 3 different rooms at a time.

"Pair #12, #13, and #14? I have #12, so, whose the lucky guy?" Glimmer purred, winking seductively at Cato. Cato avoiding her gaze, turning when a cough on the other end of the room yelled out, "I have 12!"

Glimmer froze, plastering on a fake smile as she turned to the source of the voice. There, holding a half empty bottle of white liquor, was… holy crap. Mr. Abernathy?!

.The room was silent as Haymitch Abernathy made his way to Glimmer. By the way she gagged when he whispered to her, it was obvious she was drunk.

It was still silent as Glimmer called out to Cato, asking him, "Why the hell does Haymitch have your slip of paper!?"

In response, Cato lifted Glimmer up over his shoulder, dumped her into a bedroom with Haymitch, and locked the door from the outside.

Nobody dared to speak as Glimmer shrieked loudly.

Until, that is, Madge burst out laughing.

"Mr. Abernathy! Can you… guys… believe it!?" she laughed, wiping a tear. Gale joined in after her, followed by Katniss and I. Soon, 95% of the room had burst out in laughter. Who was the 5% that stayed silent, though? Glimmer's posse of friends, Cashmere, and… Cato.

"Seriously! Stop it!" Cato erupted suddenly, quickly silencing us all. He looked angry. Really angry. "Who's pair number 13?"

A pale, scrawny boy shuddered as he walked near Cato. Another large girl made her way to them as well. Cato nearly shoved them into a room.

"And pair 14?"

Nobody stood up or walked by him. The room was deathly silent as Cato reached into his pocket, pulled out a slip of paper, and nodded to himself. "Ah, yeah. That's me. Who's the girl?"

Everyone paled considerably, checking their slips to make sure they weren't the unlucky girl. I stood there, sighing.

"Clove, what number do you have?" Katniss whispered to me.

I shrugged. "Doesn't matter, does it? Like I'm playing this stupid game."

"What if you have Cato's?"

I nearly spit out the soda I was drinking. "Hah. Like that'll happen."

But still, I reluctantly slid my hand into my pocket, reaching in to carefully pull out the paper. Annie stood behind me, watching over my shoulder. Unfolding the paper, I quickly crumbled it afterwards.

_#14 _

Aw, crap.

**-What Wasn't-**

**Shorter than usual, but I didn't want to keep anybody waiting any longer ;^; I started this in May, haha. And to think I wanted to finish the story by August. xD**

**Reviews make me happy! I promise I won't take as long (:**

**I have A LOT more planned for the party. If you have any suggestions or an idea, feel free to let me know. **


	5. The Plague Called Glimmer

**Author's Note: Late update is… late. My laptop randomly gets the bsod, so when that happens I lose motivation to type.**

**I'd like to say a big thanks to everyone who has this story as a favorite or as an alert. And a HUGE thank you to all the reviewers! This is the first time I've broken 100 reviews, especially on a story with only 4 chapters. It really means a lot. Enormous thanks to everyone who was prodding me to update!**

**Oh, and I have a few questions to ask about this story. They'll be at the bottom. C:**

**Anyways, happy (late) new years! **

**5: The Plague Called Glimmer**

"C'mon, who has number 14?" Cato repeated once more, obviously getting annoyed that nobody had claimed him yet.

Annie pushed me forward. "Go!"

"I'm not going in there!" I retorted, turning on my heel. As I was beginning to walk away, a gruff hand grabbed my shoulder. Without turning around, I automatically knew who it was.

"So… #14, huh?" Cato's breath on my shoulders made me shiver. Why did I even come to this party again? Oh, yeah. Glimmer.

Sighing dramatically, I glared at him. "When Glimmer comes out, I'll give her my slip. Have fun with your girlfriend in there instead."

"Oops. Not gonna happen~!" Before I knew it, Cato had thrown me over his shoulder, running into the only empty room.

Dropping me onto the bed, he sat awkwardly beside me, rubbing the back of his neck. "Seven minutes. I think you can wait that long."

Glaring at him, I turned away. "If you begin to strip, I will accuse you of harassment."

He laughed awkwardly, though it seemed different than his usual cocky attitude as he pulled on the collar of his shirt. "Oh, really? Well, it is getting pretty hot in here…"

"Don't you dare!" I remarked scooting as far away from him as possible. This led me to leaning up against the closet door. "I'm warning you!"

He chuckled, a clear smirk on his features. Before I knew it, he had begun to remove his jacket and tossing it on the bed, which left him in his jeans and a skin-tight muscle shirt.

My cheeks warmed up unconsciously. I swear. This guy was going to be the DEATH of me.

Oh, but that's not all. Soon enough, I was hunched over, trying to avoid seeing his body. "Oh, I think this shirt is getting too tight, no?" The silence that followed confirmed my suspicion of him wearing only his jeans and boxers… if he was even wearing any… Mentally barfing, I gagged. Bad image. BAD IMAGE.

A small sound made me look up. Oh gosh. He was now unbuckling his belt, getting ready to pull his pants down.

"Oh my GOD, STOP IT!" I screeched, suddenly remembering that it was previously quiet.

He placed a finger upon his lips, standing only in his boxers. "Shush! They'll think we're having-" He stopped mid-sentence, crawling in front of me. "Unless you want-"

This time I cut him off, tackling him to the ground. "SHUT UP."

Tilting his head, he brought it closer to my face. "Oooh, feisty, aren't we?"

"Hey, time's up-"

The entrance of a new voice brought me back to reality. Oh, gosh no.

Finnick stared down at us, mouth slightly open. Crap. Crap. Crap. Do you know how bad it is to have someone walk in on a scene in which a girl is on top of a nearly naked guy?

Finnick's lips transformed into a crooked smile. "Should I give you guys more time, or…?"

"No, no, NO!" I jolted up, off the floor and out the bedroom door, grunting in the process. "Unlike half the girls here, I'm not easy!"

The main room's lot of people mainly were quiet. Others cheered. In annoyance, I linked Katniss's arm through mine, ready to storm through the front door.

"Woah, woah, WOAH," Katniss replied to my telling of what had happened inside the bedroom. I had stopped dragging her and we were now sitting by the front door. "So? Don't leave yet. We'll just make a fool out of Cato AND Glimmer."

I stopped in my tracks, spinning on my heel to face Katniss. She reached into her bag, the can of whipped cream barely being shown. "Remember this?"

I'm fairly certain that a distorted smile took over my features. That was why we came here in the first place, right?

"Katniss, Clove, look!" Annie peeked around the corner, grabbing onto each of our arms. "This is really, really, gross, but…"

She didn't have to continue. "Gale!" Katniss shrieked. I wasn't even sure what I was seeing. There, laying on the table, was a drunk looking Gale… stripping. Sexual drunk. Worst kind. "What the heck are you doing!?"

"Nothing!" he slurred, wrapping an arm around Madge, who frowned in disapproval. By the way she subtly cringed when he talked, it wasn't hard to tell that his breath had tinges of alcoholic drinks. To be honest, I didn't view Gale as one to… get so drunk so easily…

"Okay. Someone needs to take him home!" Katniss shrieked. When I volunteered, she sent me a cold glare and instead forced Peeta to take him back.

Annie then stalked over to us, pouting. "Guys, I'm tired. My head hurts and I think that someone spiked the punch and Finnick is making out with someone else and it makes me sad and I just really wanna do the thing with Glimmer now-"

"Oh my God!"

The three- actually, four. I didn't notice Madge- of us turned simultamiousy, where we saw Glimmer pointing a finger at Annie, he face laced with pure disgust. "You wanna 'do the thing' with me? Omg. Are you a lesbian?"

Annie's face paled considerably. "W-What? No! That's… that's not…!"

"Annie Cresta is a lesbian! Annie is a lesbian!" Glimmer chanted, getting a few others to join in, including Cashmere. Cato stood in the corner, shaking his head. "You're fucking disgusting!"

"I'm… I'm not! That's not what-" Annie pouted, retaliating for a moment. "Even if I was, are you saying that you're a homophobe?"

Glimmer paused for a second. "What? Of course not!"

"You butt! You called me disgusting for being a lesbian!"

"What? So you're saying that you are?"

"No! I'm just saying that if I was-"

"She's not a lesbian."

Once again, we all turned at the sound of a new voice. Was it bad that I was praying that it was Cato? I knew that he was a good guy, but… I didn't really believe it. Either way, I was satisfied with who had entered.

"Finnick? And how would you know?" Glimmer retorted, placing her hands on her hips. Her attempt to look menacing had failed.

"Because Annie is absolutely, completely in love with me."

…

…

…

WHAT? Did he seriously just say that?! Annie's face was already starting to turn tomato red as she buried it into Madge's shoulder. The room turned silent as well, watching the confrontation between Finnick, Glimmer, and Annie.

…

…

…

"So?" Glimmer finally responded. "That could mean that she's bisexual, or-"

"Cut it out!" I finally jumped in, slipping a can of whipped cream out of Katniss's bag. "You're a bitch, you know?"

She flipped her hair over her shoulder. "For me to be offended by that, I'd have to value your opinion first. Why does it matter? Oh, wait! You're a lesbian, too, aren't you?"

That did it. Did she not understand that I wanted to be friends with Annie? Did she not understand that friends stuck up for one another?

"You… you…!" I didn't have to finish. In the next moment, Madge snuck up behind Glimmer and scooped a glob of peanut butter down her shirt.

…

More silence. Then Glimmer let out an ugly, ugly shriek. "What the fuck is wrong with you?!" she screamed at Madge. With a swift movement, she backhanded Madge, the sound erupting throughout the room.

Okay. THAT also did it. In a fit, I tackled Glimmer to the ground. "You did not just do that!" I barked.

"Oh, but I did!" She struggled under me, finally rolling over so that she was on top. Straddling me, she began to continuously slap me.

I didn't expect it, but next came Katniss. She tackled Glimmer off of me and began to wrestle her on her own.

"Break it up!"

Cato's voice boomed throughout the room, taking heavy strides towards us. "Katniss, get off of her!"

She was about to object, but the cold glare he sent her made he quickly get off. He gripped my wrist in his left hand and Glimmer's in his right. Nearly throwing us into the bedroom, he shut the door behind him.

"Why did you bring… her of all people in here with me?" Glimmer shrieked, looking ready to pounce. "I'd much rather prefer Madge, Annie, even fucking Katniss!"

"I did it because it all comes down to you two! You provoked Annie just because she's a friend of Clove, didn't you?"

Glimmer slunk back into the bed, yet she didn't object. Bingo.

"Cato, let me out."

He turned to me. "What?"

"Let me out!" I repeated. "I'm leaving. As fun as this was, I have a… curfew?" The last sentence turned out more like a question, but he reluctantly let me out of the room and locked it behind him again.

Leaning my head against the door, I could hear Glimmer purr and say something about them finally being alone together. I could literally hear them making out.

Gross.

Stalking away, I found Annie huddled behind Madge as Finnick tried to talk to her. When she saw me, she instantly brightened and left them.

"Clove," she sniffed, "thank you."

I gave her a small smile in response. "It's fine. But are you alright?"

"I am."

I nodded towards Finnick. "Talk to him."

Her expression instantly turned cold. "He said that he just said it to help. That's so embarrassing!"

Katniss came on the scene, embracing Annie in a hug. "What's the verdict? Where's Glimmer? Cato?"

"They're busy making out. Gross much?" I responded, rubbing my temple. Annie was right. Someone must have spiked the punch. "Anyways, I think I'm heading home for tonight."

"Alright, bye!" Annie waved back.

"Wait!" Katniss called. "Can I see your phone?"

"Uhh… okay?" I held it out. Katniss punched something in, then handed it to Annie, who did the same thing.

Handing it back, Katniss gave a thumbs up. "Our phone numbers. Let's hang out soon, alright?"

"Alright."

As I left the house, regardless of Cato and Glimmer, I felt content for the first time this year.

**-What Wasn't-**

**Shorter than my usual chapters, but meh. At least I got something out. Finally a happy ending. :D **

**Anyways, I do have a few questions to ask:**

**Should I revise the earlier chapters? I started this story almost a year ago, and reading over the first chapters, I'm really disappointed with them. Plus at the time, I was in middle school, so I had no idea what grammar was, or how high school was like.**

**Should this be rated M? I mean, just for language. Let's face it. In this story, everyone kind of has a potty mouth. .-.**

**How long should this story go? I'm a big fan of long stories that last for years in the story. I'm thinking about stopping it right before college, then making a sequel. **

**Oh, and thanks for all the reviews, favourites, and follows!**

**-Ashe**


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